Bisphenol A (BPA) is detectable in follicular fluid. However, the effect of BPA exposure on human cumulus cells (CC) that surround the oocyte and are crucial for oocyte competence has been largely unexplored. We exposed primary cultures of CC to increasing concentrations of BPA [0,0.002, 0.02 and 20μg/mL] and tested the effects of BPA on the expression of genes associated with apoptosis using quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR); we also assessed the effect of BPA on apoptosis by staining with anti-caspase 3. Exposure to 20μg/mL BPA led to significantly decreased expression of CDC20, BUB1B and HAS2 (p<0.03), increased expression of TRIB3 and LUM (p≤0.005), and increased frequency of cells positive for anti-CASP3 (p=0.03), compared to control. Our results imply that BPA may lead to ovarian toxicity by increasing CC apoptosis and provide an important molecular mechanism for the effect of BPA on human CC in vitro.
Keywords: Apoptosis; Bisphenol A; Cumulus cells; Human primary cultures.
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